(1) Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to a backlight assembly having improved heat dissipation and to a display device including the same.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (“LCD”) is a type of flat panel display (“FPD”), which is the most widely used type of display devices. The LCD is configured such that a liquid crystal layer is interposed between two substrates including electrodes, so that liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer are rearranged upon application of a voltage to the electrodes, thereby varying the amount of transmitted light through the liquid crystal layer.
An LCD, which is a passive light emitting device, includes a display panel for displaying an image and a backlight assembly for supplying light to the display panel. The backlight assembly is classified into one of three types: a direct type, an edge type and a corner type. These three types of backlight assemblies are differentiated based on the position of a light source relative to a light guide plate of the backlight assembly.
A heat dissipation structure of a backlight assembly, which dissipates heat produced by a light source, is highly desired that can minimize performance degradation of the backlight assembly.
It is particularly desired to effectively dissipate heat produced by a light source, such as when a light-emitting diode (“LED”) is used, in a corner-type backlight structure in which a single light source or a small number of light sources are disposed at a corner portion of a light guide plate or in an edge-type backlight structure in which a plurality of light sources are disposed at an edge portion of a light guide plate.